The Power of Knowing Dyslexia, 504 Services, and Irlen Syndrome Windy M. Clark.

The Power of KnowingDyslexia, 504 Services, and Irlen Syndrome

The Power of KnowingDyslexia, 504 Services, and Irlen Syndrome

Windy M. ClarkWindy M. Clark

DyslexiaDys: Greek for disorder or impaired

Lexia: Words or language

The Power of Knowing

• Dyslexia is a learning disability that is neurological in origin and is the most common cause of reading, writing, and spelling difficulties.

• About 70-80% of children are able to break the alphabetic code after a year of instruction.

• Youth with untreated dyslexia are more likely than their nondyslexic peers to drop out of high school and become unemployed, underemployed, or incarcerated.

Source: Shaywitz, S. (2003). Overcoming dyslexia: A new and complete science-based program for reading problems at any level. New York: Alfred A Knopf.

Affects 1 out of 5 children.

The other 20-30% will struggle.

Early Clues to Dyslexia

• Delay in speaking• Difficulty judging if two words

rhyme

• Difficulty learning the alphabet

• Unable to master sounds of letters

• Family history of dyslexia

• Lack of phonemic awareness• Strengths in thinking, reasoning,

and listening comprehension

Backward writing and reversals

Source: Clark, D., & Uhry, J., (Eds.) (2004). Dyslexia: Theory and practice of instruction (3rd ed.). Austin: Pro-Ed.

Later Clues to Dyslexia

• History of reading and spelling difficulties• Avoids reading aloud• Reads slowly; not fluent• Avoids reading for pleasure• Inadequate vocabulary• Difficulty spelling• Strengths in thinking, reasoning, and listening comprehension

Source: The dyslexia handbook: Procedures concerning dyslexia and related disorders. (Revised 2007, Updated 2010) Texas Education Agency. Austin, Texas.

Procedures for Assessing Studentsfor Dyslexia

• Response to Intervention (RtI)

• A referral can be made by EIT, parent, or

staff member.


Data Gathering

• Vision Screening• Hearing Screening• Reports of classroom concerns• Accommodations provided by classroom teachers• Report Card Grades• Samples of Student work• Current Running Record• Data that demonstrates student was provided research-based

instruction with repeated assessments of achievement (monitoring)

Formal Assessment

•Domains to assess:

– Phonology (awareness, memory, and

access)– Letter knowledge (names and sounds)– Vocabulary– Print conventions– Reading real and nonsense words in

isolation– Reading Comprehension– Reading Fluency (rate and accuracy)– Written Spelling– Listening Comprehension/Oral

Retelling


Identification of Students with Dyslexia

•Made by a 504 committee

•The committee must be knowledgeable about: Student The reading process Dyslexia and Dyslexia instruction Federal guidelines of assessment The assessments used The meaning of the data

•One or more difficulties with low performance in reading real words, nonsense words, fluency, and/or spelling.

•Data must be unexpected for the student in relation to the student’s other cognitive abilities and in relation to receiving effective instruction.

Accommodations Eligibility

A student with a disabling condition who does not receive special education or Section 504 services but meets established eligibility criteria for certain accommodations (Dyslexia/Monitor Status)

A student with an identified disability who receives 504 services

A student with an identified disability who receives special education services

Examples of Accommodations for STAAR:• Oral Administration (reading parts at student request or teacher reads all questions

and answer choices)• Extra Time• Dictionary

Should be routinely used during classroom instruction and testing (document)

Source: Seals, K. & Keys, B. (December 8, 2011). Accommodations Update Training: STAAR.

Instruction for Students with Dyslexia

• Small group arrangement (1:3 – 1:6)

• Explicit, direct instruction that is systematic

• Intensive and highly concentrated

• Phonemic awareness, phonics, language structure, fluency, spelling, and comprehension.

• 50 minutes per day in addition to 90 minutes of core instruction (time amounts are examples).

• Weekly progress monitoring

Dyslexia is Persistent

• Connecticut Longitudinal Study (1999) consisted of 445 children selected in ninth grade. Learning disabled and nondisabled comprised the two groups.

• who read poorly in third grade continued to have reading problems in high school.

Source: Stanovich, K. & Siegel, L. (1994). Persistence of dyslexia: The Connecticut Longitudinal Study at Adolescence. Pediatrics, 104 (6), 1351-1359.

Three out of four children

Evidence of Brain Repair after Intervention

• Aylward et al. (2003) imaged 10 children with Dyslexia and 11 average readers with a 28-hour intervention.

• Dyslexia groups showed a significant increase in activation areas critical in reading.

• Children who are behind in third grade can catch up.

Source: Gaab, N. & Tallal, P. (2006). Trends in Neurosciences: Dynamic auditory processing, musical experience, and language development. (29) 7. Aylward E., et al. (2003) Instructional treatment associated with changes in brain activation in children with dyslexia. Neurology 61:212–219

What is Irlen Syndrome?

• It is a problem with the brain's ability to process visual information.

• It is a problem with how the nervous system encodes and decodes visual information.

• Not an optical problem• Runs in families• Affects 12-14% of the general population• Affects of those with identified with reading problems,

dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, or learning difficulties

Source: Irlen Website: http://irlen.com/index.php?s=index

46%

Symptoms of Irlen Syndrome

• Light Sensitivity – Bothered by glare, fluorescent lights, bright lights, sunlight and sometimes

lights at night– Some individuals experience physical symptoms and feel tired, sleepy,

dizzy, anxious, or irritable. Others experience headaches, mood changes, restlessness or have difficulty staying focused, especially with bright or fluorescent lights.

• Reading Problems– Poor comprehension– Misreads words– Problems tracking from line to line– Reads in dim light– Skips words or lines– Reads slowly or hesitantly– Takes breaks/Avoids reading– Loses place



• Discomfort– Strain and fatigue– Tired or sleepy– Headaches or nausea– Fidgety or restless– Eyes that hurt or become watery

• Attention and Concentration Problems– Problems with concentration when reading and doing academic tasks– Often people can appear to have other conditions, such as attention deficit

disorder, and are given medication unnecessarily.

• Writing Problems– Trouble copying– Unequal spacing– Unequal letter size– Writing up or downhill– Inconsistent spelling


• Other Characteristics– Strain or fatigue from computer use– Difficulty reading music– Sloppy, careless math errors– Misaligned numbers in columns– Ineffective use of study time– Lack of motivation– Grades do not reflect the amount of effort

• Depth Perception– Clumsiness– Difficulty catching balls– Difficulty judging distances– Additional caution necessary while driving

• Distortions– Words on the page lack clarity or stability; may appear to be blurry, moving, or

disappear.



Treatment for Irlen Syndrome

• Irlen Colored Overlays– Improve print clarity and stability– Reduce strain and fatigue– Eliminate headaches– Improve comprehension– Makes reading faster– Tracking and keeping your place while reading– Allow you to read longer and with comfort


Irlen Brain Scans

Think/Pair/Share: What does this picture mean to you?

REFERENCES

Gaab, N. & Tallal, P. (2006). Trends in Neurosciences: Dynamic auditory processing, musical experience, and language development. (29) 7.

Seals, K. & Keys, B. (December 8, 2011). Accommodations Update Training: STAAR.Shaywitz, S. (2003). Overcoming dyslexia: A new and complete science-based

program for reading problems at any level. New York: Alfred A Knopf.Stanovich, K. & Siegel, L. (1994). Persistence of dyslexia: The Connecticut Longitudinal Study at Adolescence. Pediatrics, 104 (6), 1351-1359.

Texas Education Agency. (Revised 2007, Updated 2010) The dyslexia handbook: Procedures concerning dyslexia and related disorders. Austin, Texas.

Aylward EH, Richards TL, Berninger VW, Nagy WE, Field KM, Grimme AC, Richards AL, Thomson JB, Cramer SC (2003) Instructional treatment associated with changes in brain activation in children with dyslexia. Neurology 61:212–219.

Clark, D., & Uhry, J., (Eds.) (2004). Dyslexia: Theory and practice of instruction (3rd ed.). Austin: Pro-Ed.

The Power of Knowing Dyslexia, 504 Services, and Irlen Syndrome Windy M. Clark.

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